Sean Grayson, the former Illinois sheriff’s deputy convicted of second-degree murder in the July 2024 death of Sonya Massey, a 36-year-old Black mother of two shot after calling 911 to report a possible intruder in her home, was sentenced on Thursday to 20 years in prison followed by two years of mandatory supervised probation.
When was Sean Grayson found guilty of Sonya Massey’s murder?
Blavity reported that a jury found Grayson, 31, guilty in October of second-degree murder in Massey’s fatal shooting. While prosecutors initially sought a first-degree murder conviction, the defense objected and advocated for the jury to consider a lesser charge.
The charge against Grayson carries a four to 20-year prison sentence for second-degree murder. Under Illinois law, Grayson could earn good-behavior credit and serve only half of his sentence. If prosecutors had secured the first-degree murder charge, Grayson would face a harsher sentence, which carries 45 years to life in prison, per NBC News.
Judge Ryan Cadigan of the 7th Judicial Circuit Court of Illinois sentenced Grayson to the maximum penalty. During his ruling, he explained that firing three rounds threatened other residents in the neighborhood and that a strict sentence would “deter others from acting under the same circumstances,” according to CBS News.
Grayson addressed Massey’s family during sentencing
During Thursday’s hearing, Grayson expressed remorse for the first time, saying he made “terrible decisions” that night, and apologized to Massey’s family for her death.
“I was very unprofessional that night,” NBC News reported Grayson said. “She didn’t deserve to be yelled at, cursed at and called names. Nobody deserves that.”
Grayson has until March 6 to appeal his sentencing. His attorneys filed a motion for a new trial in December, but Cadigan denied it at the hearing.
Defense attorney Mark Wykoff told the judge that Grayson’s imprisonment could affect his health condition, as he has Stage 4 colon cancer that has spread throughout his body.
“As your honor is aware, Grayson was diagnosed with Stage 3 colon cancer in 2023,” Wykoff said, per NBC News. “That has now spread to his liver, and now he has Stage 4 cancer, separate and apart from the Stage 4 colon cancer, in the form of rectal cancer, and cancer to his liver and cancer to his lungs.”
NBC News reported, “Wykoff also said Grayson should be sentenced for crimes committed in Sangamon County, Illinois, and that the case is ‘not a referendum on the rest of the country.'”
Massey’s family’s heartfelt victim statements: ‘My soul is ripped’
Massey’s family, which includes her parents, Donna Massey and James Wilburn, along with her two children, made statements during the sentencing, describing the trauma her death has had on their lives and how they are learning to cope without their mother and daughter.
Donna addressed Grayson with the same phrase her daughter used before she was fatally shot: “Sean Grayson, I rebuke you in the name of Jesus,” according to ABC affiliate WICS.
“Today, I’m afraid to call the police in fear that I might end up like Sonya,” Donna added during her victim impact statement.
Wilburn also made a statement, pointing out Grayson’s actions during the trial: “Her killer [Sean Grayson] has been unrepentant, a liar, and showed no remorse for his actions,” he said, per WICS.
“It does not feel like he truly understands or cares about the damage he has caused,” Summer Massey, 16, said in her statement obtained by NBC News.
She also noted that while Grayson’s sentencing wasn’t enough, she was “thankful” that her mother still received justice.
“I’m thankful for all the love and support that everybody has came out and shown, and I’m grateful that we got the maximum sentence that we could. Twenty years is not enough, but they did what … they could do,” Summer added.
Massey’s son, 19-year-old Malachi Hill Massey, mentioned the “unimaginable pain” he still carries after losing his mother. “My soul is ripped, it’s like a part of me is really dead,” he said.
In addition to Massey’s loved ones, her supporters were in the courtroom, chanting her name and raising fists as Grayson was sentenced. Her family has also called for federal charges against Grayson, stating that he violated her civil rights.
What happened to Sonya Massey?
Blavity reported that Grayson shot and killed Massey in her Springfield, Illinois, home in July 2024. According to police body footage, Massey answered her door and immediately told Grayson and his then-partner, “Please, don’t hurt me.”
“I don’t want to hurt you; you called us,” Grayson responded.
Grayson later noticed a pot of boiling water in the home and told Massey, “We don’t need a fire while we’re in here.” Shortly after, Massey told Grayson, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus,” while pouring water from the pot into the sink.
Massey hid behind the counter, and Grayson threatened to shoot her. When she came out, he shot her three times.
Donna reportedly called 911 a day before Massey’s shooting death about her daughter experiencing a mental health crisis, telling the dispatcher they shouldn’t send “any combative policemen who are prejudiced, please,” adding, “I’m scared of the police.”